OAKLAND, Calif. – Dwayne Harris returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown after Denver failed to down it, and the Raiders gave fans plenty to celebrate in their possible final game in Oakland, beating the Broncos 27-14 on Monday night.
"Our fans really fuel us," coach Jon Gruden said.
The Raiders (4-11) are set to move to Las Vegas in 2020 and have no lease for next year. With Oakland officials suing the team over the move, the Raiders are looking into other options for 2019, including San Francisco's AT&T Park.
Harris delivered the game's biggest highlight early on. Andre Holmes deflected Colby Wadman's punt just before it crossed the goal line, and Denver's Isaac Yiadom was in position to down it at the 1. But he couldn't hold onto the ball, and Harris picked it up before racing 99 yards down the sideline to stun the Broncos. Only Patrick Peterson (99 yards) and Robert Bailey (103) have punt returns that long in NFL history.
Oakland native Doug Martin ran for 107 yards and a 24-yard touchdown, and Jalen Richard added a 3-yard TD run late for the Raiders.
Case Keenum had two TD passes but also two late interceptions for the Broncos (6-9), who clinched back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1971-72. After going 5-11 in coach Vance Joseph's first season, Denver has done little better in Year 2, and GM John Elway could be ready to make a change after the team lost three games in a row to teams with losing records.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
